Plane incident update

Well, the news is shifting, and now it's not entirely clear if the suspect was a lone wolf, rather than having ties to Al Qaeda. And it's not clear what kind of incendiary device he really had. Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic just re-tweeted the following update:

RT @NYCAviation "CNN passenger interview: Heard pop like champagne cork, moments later saw flames shooting out of suspect's crotch."

What was your first clue?

Ambinder just Tweeted the following - it better not be true that we're relying on Nigerian security to protect our lives when we fly Northwest:

So -- seems like the guy was screened in Lagos, arrived in AMS and didn't go through 2nd customs screening there like he would have in the US.

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Feliz Navidad

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BREAKING: White House reportedly calling flight incident today "attempted act of terrorism"

UPDATE: WSJ reporting passenger had explosives strapped to his leg, ties to al Qaeda.

The explosive, which was apparently carried onto the flight from its originating airport in Amsterdam, was originally believed to be a small firecracker, but the U.S. official said the device was "more complicated than gunpowder firecracker" and caught fire as the man tried to set it off.

I'm writing this via my phone. National reporters are saying, via Twitter, that authorities are no longer saying it was "firecrackers" that someone tried to light on a plane from Amsterdam to Detroit. The White House is reportedly telling reporters on background that it was an attempted act of terrorism. Read the rest of this post...

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch

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RNC Christmas greeting omits word "Christmas"

Reader Richie noticed something interesting in the Christmas email he received today from the Republican National Committee. No mention of the word "Christmas." Why does the GOP hate Christmas?

Click the photo below to see a larger, readable copy.

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Snow Miser/Heat Miser

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Here comes Suzy Snowflake

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The Little Drummer Boy

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Hardrock, Coco and Joe

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All I want for Christmas is you

I've never been a big Mariah Carey fan, but I just love her version of this song.

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6 to 8 Black men by D. Sedaris, a tale of Christmas in the Netherlands

A wonderfully hysterical Christmas story.





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No child wants to play with a Charlie in the box

Good morning. Hope everyone is having a great holiday -- or at least a great day off.

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Mr. Bean Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas (Eve) dinner last night with friends that included oysters, foie gras and a beautiful stuffed chapon. It was a struggle to wake this morning though we're running around - slowly - to prepare a Christmas meal for a dozen friends. Merry Christmas and hope everyone is having fun. Read the rest of this post...

Merry Christmas (Chicago time)

Starting in the morning we'll have our usual holiday tradition of posting great YouTube Christmas videos every hour or two, on the hour. Hope you're all passing a great Christmas with family and friends, or even if it's not your holiday, enjoying the day off. Read the rest of this post...